As part of the PKR 1 billion Hussain Dawood Pledge, Dawood Foundation –
the charitable arm of the Dawood Hercules Group – has entered into a strategic partnership with the British Asian Trust to promote mental h
ealth support among frontline workers and the general population directly affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the program, outreach services will be developed to provide mental h
ealth support and referral for frontline workers, patients screened and tested for COVID-19 through the Indus H
ealth Network and other partner hospitals, and the public in general as well. The program will be executed in collaboration with IRD Pakistan, a h
ealth delivery and research organization that has devised specific mental h
ealth interventions catered to healthcare providers and population affected by COVID-19.
Acc
ording to Shahzada Dawood, Vice Chairman of Dawood Hercules Corporation, “While the effects of COVID-19 on our physical h
ealth have come increasingly under focus, the issue of mental h
ealth and psychological distress cannot be ignored in terms of the overall h
ealth and wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the mental h
ealth crisis in Pakistan, highlighting an urgent need to make support services more widely accessible. By leveraging the expertise and experience of British Asian Trust, we aim to create a meaningful impact by improving accessibility of mental h
ealth services and changing community attitudes towards this important topic.”
Richard Hawkes, the Chief Executive of the British Asian Trust, added that. “There has been global recognition that COVID-19 is having and will continue to have a significant impact on mental health. Particularly in parts of the world where mental h
ealth is underacknowledged and under-funded, the uncertainty, anxiety, fear and isolation caused by the pandemic is having a devastating impact on people’s mental h
ealth and wellbeing. With a common desire to respond to this mental h
ealth crisis, The British Asian Trust, Dawood Foundation and IRD Pakistan are coming together in a strategic partnership to develop a joint approach to provision of mental h
ealth services.
With our combined efforts, we hope to provide support to over 20,000 individuals over the next few months.”
Aneeta Pasha, Country Director of IRD Pakistan, stated that “We are very excited to be a part of this initiative and to be supported by the Dawood Foundation and British Asian Trust. We know there is an incredible need for mental h
ealth services in these exceptional times and are encouraged by the support we have received in our endeavor to provide meaningful interventions to create an impact in mental h
ealth amid the COVID-19 environment.”
This mental h
ealth initiative is part of the PKR 1 billion pledge made by Mr. Hussain Dawood, Chairman of Engro Corporation and Dawood Hercules Corporation. Under this pledge, the Group is supporting COVID-19 relief efforts in services, cash and kind on multiple fronts, including:
n Disease prevention, with a major focus on testing and diagnostics
n Protecting and enabling healthcare practitioners and other key workers, who are at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic
n Enabling patient care and facilities
n Bolst
ering livelihoods and sustenance of the most deserving in society.